CHAPTER V 

 SECONDARY RESULTS 



IT has been stated already that the objects of this work 

 are the discussion of principles and methods and the illustra- 

 tion of their application. In the foregoing chapter figures 

 have been given to show the value of records and statistics 

 to the farm manager in the control of his business, but the 

 collection of materials of this nature on a sufficient scale 

 would serve a much wider purpose, for it would facilitate 

 the study of the organization of the agricultural industry 

 as a whole. The extent of the information to be gained 

 under this head would be limited only by the degree of 

 completeness of the statistics collected, and a few examples 

 of the methods of attacking certain agricultural economic 

 problems and of the results to be expected are given here. 1 



1. THE MEASUREMENT OF THE STANDARD OF 

 PRODUCTION IN AGRICULTURE 



It is a matter of common observation that even in the 

 same agricultural district and under similar economic con- 

 ditions the widest variations are to be met with not only 

 in systems of farm management but also in the organization 

 for production on different farms managed under the same 

 system. The position seems to be that as regards style of 

 farming, and also as regards the system of organization for 

 any particular style, the farmer is guided by no definite 

 principles ; rather does he follow some personal inclination, 

 some practice learned during his apprenticeship, or some 

 principle no more trustworthy than these, than study 

 the economic conditions of his particular locality and the 



1 Once again it must be emphasized that the figures following, though drawn 

 from real statistics, are introduced for purposes of illustration only and do not 

 admit of generalization. Until a greater volume of evidence can be secured 

 it will not be possible to make contributions towards the solution of the various 

 problems discussed 



a 2 



